County FMR · HUD FY2026

Bristol city Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Bristol city, VA - 15% below the US average.

$818
1-bedroom FMR
$1,044
2-bedroom FMR
-0.7%
YoY change
-15%
vs US avg

The verdict

Bristol city is the 42nd cheapest of 133 counties in Virginia by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,510 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,510
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#42
cheapest of 133 in Virginia (2BR)
-31%
vs the state average
$32,720
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (33.8%); 14 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Bristol city, VA. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Bristol city, Virginia at $818 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,044/mo and a studio is $720/mo. This is 15% lower than the national average of $959 and 31% below the Virginia average of $1,182.

Rent decreased0.7% from FY 2025 ($824), roughly tracking inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $32,720/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 39.5% of the 2,700 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Virginia. Population: 17,036. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.1%, Census ACS). That's slower than Virginia's statewide growth of +2.9% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area BRISTOL·CITY·VA·VA

Bristol city, VA: $818/mo 1BR · #1510 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA VA
  • 1BR-FMR $818
  • 2BR-FMR $1,044
  • RANK-MID #1,510
  • YOY-FLAT -0.7%
  • VSUS-BELOW -15%
  • VS-ST-LOW -31% VA
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-SMALL 17K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Fairfax County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $736–$900
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Fairfax ($1,197 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,137 · US avg: $893
$720/mo
↓ 2.4% YoY -37% vs state -19% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,182 · US avg: $959
$818/mo
↓ 0.7% YoY -31% vs state -15% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,369 · US avg: $1,175
$1,044/mo
↑ 0.1% YoY -24% vs state -11% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,789 · US avg: $1,525
$1,338/mo
↓ 0.4% YoY -25% vs state -12% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,128 · US avg: $1,756
$1,464/mo
↓ 4.8% YoY -31% vs state -17% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $738
$720
$-18 (-2.4%)
1 Bedroom $824
$818
$-6 (-0.7%)
2 Bedroom $1,043
$1,044
+$1 (+0.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,343
$1,338
$-5 (-0.4%)
4 Bedroom $1,538
$1,464
$-74 (-4.8%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Bristol city. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
19.3%
Affordable
Need $28,800/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
22%
Affordable
Need $32,720/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
28%
Affordable
Need $41,760/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
35.9%
Burdened
Need $53,520/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
39.3%
Burdened
Need $58,560/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%28%
Bristol city 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $44,706 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Virginia rent burden →

Where Bristol city sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,044 higher than 52% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Bristol city compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Virginia counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Bristol city is highlighted. Nearby Virginia counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Fairfax County ($2,015), Prince William County ($2,015), Loudoun County ($2,015), Virginia Beach city ($1,512), Chesterfield County ($1,507), Henrico County ($1,507), Bristol city (this county) ($818).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $818/mo compares to Virginia salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation VA Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $134,470 7.3% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $121,530 8.1% Affordable
Registered Nurses $88,820 11.1% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $84,190 11.7% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $65,110 15.1% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $62,270 15.8% Affordable
Electricians $61,610 15.9% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $61,200 16% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $54,500 18% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $42,490 23.1% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $39,210 25% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $36,650 26.8% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $33,970 28.9% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $32,760 30% Affordable
Fast Food & Counter Workers $29,060 33.8% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Virginia) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Bristol city. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Bristol city (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 50.9% overall, from $542 to $818. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +14.9% in FY 2025, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$500$600$700$800$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $818
Bristol city 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↓0.7% $720 $818 $1,044
FY 2025 ↑14.9% $738 $824 $1,043
FY 2024 ↑14.4% $677 $717 $905
FY 2023 ↑14.8% $583 $627 $793
FY 2022 ↑2.4% $524 $546 $702
FY 2021 ↓1.7% $513 $533 $701
FY 2020 $533 $542 $714
Total change (6yr): +50.9%
Annualized: +7.1%/yr
1 BR: $542 → $818

Part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Metro Area

Bristol city is a outlying county of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metropolitan statistical area, alongside 4 other metro-area counties.

Bristol city ranks #5 of 5 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Sullivan County ($818), Hawkins County ($818), Washington County ($818), Scott County ($818), Bristol city (this county) ($818).

Sullivan County
1 BR: $818/mo
Hawkins County
1 BR: $818/mo
Washington County
1 BR: $818/mo
Scott County
1 BR: $818/mo
Bristol city (this county)
1 BR: $818/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Bristol city, both outside Virginia so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside VA (FY2026).

Sullivan County
TN · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Hawkins County
TN · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Franklin County
NY · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Bertie County
NC · 2 BR $1,044/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside VA).

Golden Valley County
MT · 28% of income · 2 BR $1,339/mo
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
AK · 28% of income · 2 BR $1,460/mo
Perry County
AL · 28% of income · 2 BR $803/mo
Carter County
TN · 28% of income · 2 BR $1,132/mo

Nearby Counties in Virginia

Largest counties by population in Virginia

Showing the 8 largest of 132 other counties in Virginia.

Fairfax County
1 BR: $2,015/mo Pop: 1,145,354
Prince William County
1 BR: $2,015/mo Pop: 481,114
Virginia Beach city
1 BR: $1,512/mo Pop: 457,900
Loudoun County
1 BR: $2,015/mo Pop: 420,773
Chesterfield County
1 BR: $1,507/mo Pop: 366,019
Henrico County
1 BR: $1,507/mo Pop: 333,120
Chesapeake city
1 BR: $1,512/mo Pop: 249,377
Norfolk city
1 BR: $1,512/mo Pop: 236,973
View all counties in Virginia →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Bristol city? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Bristol city is $818 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,044 and a studio is $720.
How does Bristol city rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Bristol city is 15% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $818 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Bristol city rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Bristol city's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,044 ranks #1,510 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Bristol city? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,720 ($2,727/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Bristol city.
Is rent going up or down in Bristol city? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Bristol city decreased by 0.7% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $824 to $818.
Which jobs can afford rent in Bristol city? ▼
Based on Virginia BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $818/mo. 14 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Bristol city over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Bristol city went from $542 in FY 2020 to $818 in FY 2026, a total change of +50.9% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Bristol city? ▼
In Bristol city, the FY 2026 FMR of $818/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Bristol city? ▼
For Bristol city, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($818/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.